


Of Sorcerers and Markets

by SilverSprinklez10



Series: Of Soulmates and Different Worlds [5]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/M, M/M, Sorcerers, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:27:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27973703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverSprinklez10/pseuds/SilverSprinklez10
Summary: A soulmate AU where people live different lives and remember those past lives. They and their soulmate always have the same name, but look different in each life. Most people have a soulmate. Usually, people find their soulmates and live together joyously until they die and meet again the in the next life.Michael is afraid of his powers.
Relationships: Lily Ki/Michael Reeves, Lily Ki/Micheal Reeves, Tom O'Grady/Steven | AphexArcade
Series: Of Soulmates and Different Worlds [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997710
Comments: 10
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, THIS is the sequel that I promised in part 3. Well, it's not quite a sequel. But it is the next part of this series and it gives more lore and stuff. It has the worldbuilding that wasn't really in the part I published like two hours ago. After publishing that story, I really went and just wrote the rest of this part down like I said I needed to.
> 
> As you can tell from the character tags, I just kinda did stuff with new characters again. Hopefully you guys like it. You don't need to read the previous parts to understand the plot, but reading the other parts will give you more insight on what's happening.

Michael is afraid of his powers.

Michael has heard all of this life that people only become sorcerers if they are taught magic by someone else. If that's the case, Michael wonders, why can I use magic with no training? Michael supposes the first magic user had to be someone, therefore there exists at least one sorcerer who was not taught magic by a human. That's just logical. But why can Michael use powers without guidance? Is this a random or calculated event? Does anyone know why the universe does what it does?

Michael is determined to master his powers. It's the only way to stop the fear of them. If Michael conquers his fears, then he can move on in life. Else, he'll be stuck in a cycle of fear, and Michael wants to break the loop before it spirals out of control. And so Michael practices. He tests, messes up, reevaluated, and tries again. Through trial and error, Michael is able to discover what works and what doesn't. 

As Michael gains more control of his powers, his confidence increases. Michael finds he has more control over the things he does. He never activates his powers by accident anymore. He's found a way to ensure safety when channeling his powers. He's found out different functions on how to use his powers. Michael isn't afraid of accidentally hurting people around him anymore. Michael tells himself he isn't afraid of anything.

Michael is ready to face the world.

~~~~~

Michael decides to test his powers by saving a damsel in distress.

This is for 4 main reasons. Reason 1: Michael wants to use his powers for good. Saving someone in trouble is an example of using powers for good. Reason 2: Michael wants to teach these invaders a lesson. Like everyone else, Michael is sick of invaders in his land. Reason 3: The damsel owns the market Michael was planning on buying food from today, and the market won't open while the owner is otherwise occupied. Michael is disappointed when he finds out about this fact. Reason 4: Michael has nothing else planned for today, so he may as well do some good and be able to complete his plans for the day at the same time.

The invaders are not expecting to be ambushed by a magic user. Neither was the damsel, considering she was pleading with the invaders instead of screaming for help. This is evident by the sheer panic they experience when Michael incapacitates one of their guys and the look of relief on the woman's face. The other invaders run away after that, and Michael prioritizes attacking the ones still holding stolen goods. Once the invaders realize what Michael is doing, they drop their goods and run for it. Michael uses his powers to retrieve all of his items and return them to the woman.

"Thank you so much," the woman says. "You really saved me!"

"It was no problem," Michael responds. I'm happy to help."

"If you need me for anything, stop by my store and ask one of my employees for me," the woman says. "Tell them you want to speak to Lilypichu! I'll hopefully see you later! I need to get these items back and open shop."

The woman runs off before Michael has a chance to respond. Michael's brain short-circuits as he processes what the woman said. Michael's visited her market since it opened. And the owner is Lily, Michael's soulmate? How have they not met before now? How is Michael supposed to shop at the market like planned when he feels nervous about introducing himself to his soulmate?

Michael still needs to shop today, so he does enter the market. As it turns out, Michael doesn't even need to bother introducing himself to Lily. Lily is behind the counter talking to Tom, the employee Michael usually sees when Michael has his items ready to check out. Michael freezes. He's never seen Lily at the checkout before today. Does he pretend everything is normal? Does he mention the rescue earlier today? Unfortunately, Tom acts before Michael has a chance to say something. 

"Hey, Michael Reeves!" Tom shouts. "Don't worry, the market is saved!"

Did Tom just… do that? Michael and Lily stare at each other, then at Tom, then at each other again. This is not the soulmate meeting Michael was expecting at all. I mean, technically they met during the invader situation, but still. Michael needs to reevaluate his place in this life. But he doesn't have time to reboot his brain or emotions right now. The look on Lily's face screams 'We Need To Talk Now'.

"Thank you for that Tom," Michael says. "Can I speak to Lily, if you don't mind?"

Lily takes Michael's question as a cue to walk up to him and drag him away from Tom, his items abandoned at the counter. Michael barely registers the flabbergasted look on Tom's face before Lily forces him to turn around. Lily drags the two into an "Employees Only" area. Oh god. Is Michael an employee here now? It wouldn't surprise Michael if Lily pressures him into working shifts to support her. She's certainly done it before.

"Since when are you in the business of saving people?" Lily asks. Lily knows Michael too well.

"I have four good reasons for that," Michael says. Lily glares at him. "Two of them you'd approve of."

"Oh really," Lily asks. "What are they?"

Michael ends up telling her all four reasons anyway. Lily laughs and shakes her head at reasons 3 and 4, but Michael chalks that up to Lily knowing him too well. He's never been one to sacrifice himself for the sake of others, opting to protect Lily and himself before anybody else. Usually Michael follows along with Lily's kind heart whenever he does something society would seem noble. 

The two talk more about this life so far. Lily explains how she got into the business of opening a shop in the first place. She wanted to build something permanent that would benefit a group of people, and sure enough, people were very welcoming of the store's presence. Michael explains living here and discovering his powers. The two are thankful for the good luck, or destiny perhaps, that landed the two in the same spot.

"We should get back to Tom," Lily says. "Poor guy has no clue what just happened."

"He probably thinks you murdered me," Michael says.

The look on Lily's face is priceless.

~~~~~

On the way home from the market, Michael meets a man called Aphex Arcade.

Meets is a mild word for it. Michael almost trips over his unconscious body in the street. Michael knows Lily will be upset with him if he doesn't help a guy in need, especially since he's been in the business of saving people this life, so Michael takes him home. Besides, Michael isn't going to pass up the opportunity to practice healing magic. Michael would rather not try to learn how to heal wounds during a scenario where Lily can die if he fails. Michael envies the people who can simply learn magic from someone else.

Michael ends up successfully healing the guy. He learns Aphex Arcade's name through rummaging through Aphex Arcade's bag. The bag contains the usual items found in a traveller's bag except for money, and various receipts for different inns share the commonality of his name. While the guy is sleeping on Michael's couch, Michael makes dinner for two. Michael follows his stir fry recipe exactly. He'll only eat experimental food if Lily cooks it for him and if she eats it first.

Michael is still cooking when he hears groaning from the couch. Michael wonders if he should go over to the guy Aphex Arcade or make sure the food doesn't burn. Michael decides to chance it and runs over Aphex Arcade. He'll comfort the guy, reassure him he's safe, and then finish fixing up dinner. Michael can do this. Hopefully without getting attacked in the process.

Okay, nevermind. Aphex Arcade sends a fireball of all things at Michael. Michael barely reacts in time with water magic. Aphex Arcade is now slightly damp, but he does not seem to care about this fact. The guy sends another fireball, but this time Michael is prepared and is able to use air to get rid of the fire. Air makes less of a mess than water does. This goes on until the guy realizes that Michael is not attacking him.

"Hi," Michael says when the fireballs stop. "I'm Michael. Please stop trying to burn down my house."

It takes Aphex Arcade a while to realize he is in a wooden home. The poor guy was beaten unconscious, so Michael supposed he can't fault the guy for being out of it. Aphex Arcade then tries to reach for his bag, but is stopped by the pain of bruises. When healing Aphex Arcade, Michael focused more on the life-threatening injuries then the bruises. Michael hands Aphex Arcade his bag. Michael doesn't want him undoing all of the hard work that goes into healing magic.

"The money's gone," Aphex Arcade says. "Shit."

"That's generally what happens when you get mugged," Michael says. Michael has never been described as comforting by anyone he knows.

Aphex Arcade sighs. "How am I supposed to make it to Maeve now?"

"Maeve?" Michael says. "Never heard of it. Not in this life, anyway."

Apparently Maeve in this life is a small town near the capital. It sounds like the Maeve Michael has heard about from some of his friends' previous lives, but this is not the first time towns have been named after towns in other lives. It takes quite a bit of conversation for Aphex Arcade, or apparently Aphex for short, to reveal his motivations for wanting to go there. After many reassurances that Michael is not one of the people who attacked Aphex and that Michael can keep a secret, Aphex makes a grand reveal that he is a sorcerer, apparently forgetting the fact that he launched fireballs at Michael. 

Apparently Aphex has heard rumors that there's a sorcerer in Maeve who can teach him how to do more with magic than use fire. But no one can confirm or deny these rumors, so Aphex has decided to see for himself whether or not the rumors are true. And so Aphex has been adventuring ever since. Asking people for directions, buying maps, working short jobs to fund the trip.

"But," Aphex says. "I can't go there if… why do I smell something burning?"

Dinner that night ends up being a little bit charred.

~~~~~

Michael ends up securing jobs for both him and Aphex at Lily's market.

Michael quits his previous job as a result of this, but Michael feels more obligation towards his soulmate than his previous boss. Aphex is thankful for the opportunity to make money. After hearing what happened to Aphex, Lily is more than happy to help out the guy. After dinner, Michael had let Aphex rest and therefore left the guy alone while he went to talk to Lily. So Michael and Aphex are waiting until the afternoon to come in per Lily's orders. Afternoon is the safer option when the time an injured man will wake up is unknown.

Since the two have time to kill, Aphex asks Michael about himself. Michael starts by telling Aphex that the market owner is his soulmate, so messing up this job opportunity is unacceptable. He talks a bit about him and Lily, and then talks about what happened with the invaders and Lily. Michael is describing what happened in the battle when Aphex stops him.

"Wait, hold on," Aphex says. "You did what to these guys?"

Ah, right. Michael hasn't yet explained the fact that he is a sorcerer as well. So Michael talks about it. How he used magic on accident and has sought to control his powers ever since. He even demonstrates a bit for Aphex. Michael can't do much because most of his magical energy has been spent healing Aphex more, but Aphex is still impressed. But to be fair, Michael's expertise in magic is more advanced than Aphex's fireballs.

After that explanation, Michael goes back to explaining handling the invaders and chasing them away. Michael then explains finding out the store owner is his soulmate and going inside the shop. Michael then tells Aphex about how Tom comedically steps in and reveals Michaels name to Lily. At this point, Aphex interrupts again.

"Wait," Aphex says. "You said Tom Fawkes."

"Yes," Michael says. "He's the other employee at the market. Do you know him?"

"Do I know him?" Aphex says. "Do I know him? Oh my god."

Michael learns that Tom Fawkes and Aphex Arcade are soulmates. And the two have a game going on about who is going to find the other first. And Tom won during the last lifetime, so Aphex wants to win this time. Michael says that Lily may have told Tom already, but the two can leave now to surprise Tom since Lily is expecting them in the afternoon. Aphex agrees to this, so the two head over to the market early.

When they arrive, Lily is alone at the market. Michael introduces Aphex to Lily and the two fill in Lily on the soulmate contest between Aphex and Tom. Lily agrees to surprise Tom after Michael asks her to. Lily tells Michael to go find Tom and tell him that she wants him to interview a new hire and to come to the market as soon as possible. Then they'll set up the interview and Aphex can surprise Tom. No harm, no foul. Aphex is already hired, so Tom won't be let down by a false possibility of a new employee.

Michael goes to Tom's house and tells Tom the story. Tom asks for details, but Michael says Lily didn't provide him with said details. Such a statement is more convincing than coming up with a dumb fake name for an employee. Tom is a bit disgruntled over having to come in on his day off, but Michael figures he'll be happy to see his soulmate, even if he loses this life's game. And so the two go to the market.

Lily escorts Tom to the room Aphex is waiting in. From there, Michael stands with Lily while the fake interview is going on. Neither of them can hear the conversation going on. Michael and Lily wanted their privacy while first meeting up, and Lily had convinced Michael to allow Tom and Aphex the same. Michael can't say no to that, not when such a request comes from Lily. And so the both of them wait.

When Michael sees how happy the both of them are, he knows the wait was worth it.

~~~~~

Michael offers to reach Aphex more about sorcery.

Lily is proud of Michael's helpful streak when she hears about it, but in reality, Michael just wants Aphex to shut up about wanting to go to Maeve but not wanting to leave Tom. Michael wishes Aphex will move in with Tom. Michael is still unsure about the idea of Aphex being his roommate, despite the fact that it has already happened. But Michael supposed being roommates will make training easier, but the training is happening because Michael has to hear Aphex complaining all of the time due to them being roommates. It is a vicious cycle.

Michael figures out that teaching himself sorcery and teaching Aphex sorcery are two completely different things. It takes Michael a lot of trial and error to be able to reach Aphec how to make his fire stronger. And that effort is just for improving a type of magic Aphex already knows. Explaining how to do other types of magic is even harder. The process frustrates Michael more than it does Aphex.

Part of learning magic is tuning into the inner self. Michael knows his inner self. He knows how he feels things. Michael can experience his feelings and react to them. Michael cannot do the same with Aphex. Michael doesn't have the data of what Aphex is feeling available to him. Michael can't analyze what is going wrong with Aphex's thought process when trying to conjure spells. Michael is left with guesswork and luck, which infuriates him.

But eventually, Aphex does learn all of the elementally magic. Then Michael is able to teach him other things as well. Summoning light, creating illusions, stuff like that. All of the bizarre tricks Michael has learned to be possible. As Aphex learns new things, both Tom and Lily are proud of him. And Michael is too, even if he has more difficulty showing it. After a while, Michael starts faking the exasperation that used to be real after Aphex finally learned something new.

Michael feels nothing but pride.

~~~~~

Good things never last forever.

The reports of invaders messing everything up have gotten worse. This is a fact. But Michael is seeing more than reports right now. He sees fire and hears screaming. Aphex is up with him, and the both of them first douse the fire that is currently burning down Michael's house. Then the two agree to part ways to find their respective soulmates. Michael trusts Aphex's ability to protect Tom while he heads to Lily.

When Michael reaches Lily's house, he sees no sign of her there. He just sees the ashes of what once was. All around Lily's house, everything is burned to the ground. Michael looks at the corpses around him, but none of them look like Lily. Michael hopes none of them are Lily. After searching every corpse he can find, Michael surmises that the only other place Lily could be is at the market. Michael heads in that direction right away.

Michael's hunch turns out to be right. The market is in the process of burning unlike Lily's house. Michael can hear Lily screaming. Michael doesn't waste any time entering the market. He douses all of the flames he can see and avoids the debris falling everywhere. Michael is on autopilot. The only thing that matters right now is saving Lily. Once Michael knows Lily is safe, he can then think of a plan.

Michael finds two pillagers harassing Lily. Michael kills them before they notice him. He runs up to Lily. Lily's bleeding. Michael heals her. It's not enough. Lily is unconscious. But Lily is alive. Michael douses more flames. Michael kills anyone who tries to attack him. Michael guards Lily. It's the only thing he can do. The world feels like a blur. There is clarity only in keeping Lily safe.

After what feels like forever, Aphex and Tom enter the destroyed market. Aphex uses some of his magic to heal Lily. Lily starts to gain back some color. With Michael more confident that Lily will be okay, Michael looks around him. The market is for all intents and purposes destroyed. Nothing in the market is sellable. Michael talks to Tom and Aphex and looks outside.

Everyone else in the village is dead.

~~~~~

Lily is the one who suggests going to Maeve.

All four of them know they cannot stay in the village. Even if they rebuild the market, there is no one to sell to. Aphex's maps are one of the few things that survived the pillaging that occured. Even if there is no sorcerer in Maeve, Lily can maybe build a new market there. Of course, they have to wait until Lily fully recovers from her injuries, but healing magic does speed up the process.

Michael also decides to try and teach Lily how to use some magic. Michael has had to save her from pillagers twice now, and Michael wants Lily to be able to defend herself. Aphex offers to help teach, and this results in Tom learning along with Lily. For a while, the four of them teach and learn magic in a burned down village while they prepare for their journey to Maeve.

Once the four of them start their journey, the magic lessons become less frequent. They need to spend time navigating and traveling requires more energy than staying in one area does. Michael makes jokes about them not being as easy of a target to pick on as Aphex was when he was travelling alone and only Tom ever finds them funny. Lily talks about the ideas she has on how to make a new market. All four of them brainstorm ideas. All four of them agree that having a plan is a good thing, especially if the sorcerer doesn't actually exist in Maeve.

The four of them talk about anything and everything. They compare tabs on previous lives. Michael is surprised to discover that Tom and Aphex haven't been in any of Michael's and Lily's most recent lives. Apparently Tom's and Aphex's previous life was a life Michael and Lily lived twelve lives ago. The life Tom and Aphex lived before their previous shared life is one that Michael and Lily have only heard of, so Michael doesn't know why Tom's and Aphex's timestream would act like that. Usually people don't skip large amounts of worlds like that. 

Eventually, they arrive in Maeve. Maeve really is small. But Michael is amazed by what he sees, and he knows everyone else is too. The town is magic. Literally. Michael watches as a man changes the appearance of his house using magic. He also witnesses a woman retrieving water from a well by levitating a bucket. This town doesn't just have a sorcerer in it. Maeve is a town of sorcerers.

Michael thinks he has found paradise.

~~~~~

When someone notices Michael and his friends, they take them to the town's leader.

As it turns out, Michael recognizes the leader of the town. Not on sight, but when he introduces himself. Michael recognizes him from lifetimes ago, from before the lifetime Michael and Lily share with Tom and Aphex. Right before that lifetime, actually. That lifetime was a peaceful kingdom where making lots of friends was a privilege everyone revelled in.

"Welcome to Maeve," the leader says. "My name is Disguised Toast, and I'm the leader of this town. What brings you here?"

Michael is unsure how to respond to that. Should he say their previous village was burned down? Should he say the group is interested in building a market in this town? Should he reveal the fact that he is a sorcerer? Should he ask about the myths? Fortunately for Michael, he doesn't have to say anything, because someone else clearly has been planning what to say.

"I've been looking for this place for a long time now," Aphex says. "I got a bit sidetracked by finding my soulmate, but I made it here eventually. I heard that there's a powerful sorcerer here, and wanted to see for myself instead of just believing what I hear."

The conversation shifts to sorcery at this point. Toast explains that the town is generally a place for refugees. Toast teaches everyone magic so that the town can defend themselves from invaders and the townspeople support each other in return. Toast explains that some invaders have tried to attack Maeve, but not in very large numbers. And none of the invaders stand a chance against magic.

Michael, Aphex, and Lily in return tell Toast about their experiences with the pillagers, with Tom pitching in at the end when talking about how the pillagers burned down their village. They talk about losing everything except for Aphex's maps leading to Maeve, so the four of them decided to take the adventure together. All four of them demonstrate their magic skill to Toast, who seems impressed, especially with Michael and Aphex. Lily then talks about her previous market and her new plans.

"If having a market there is going to have a negative effect, then of course I wouldn't want to do that," Lily says. "But having a market helped our village. Of course, people could simply travel to the capital from her to obtain supplies. But I think having a small market here so people don't have to travel so far can do good."

"If you can make it work, go for it," Toast says. "I trust you, Lily."

With Toast's blessing, the four of them work on creating a market from the ground. They also decide to make a basement in the market to live in. Since everyone else builds with sorcery in Maeve, no one bats an eye when the four of them use magic to dig out the room for the basement. Lily and Tom take care of stocking the market with product. Michael and Aphex meanwhile work on market renovation and making improvements to their new home.

The new market doesn't attract the loyalty from customers that Lily's previous market did, but both Michael and Lily agree this is because Lily's market is not the only option. But people do appreciate that they are not forced to travel in order to buy supplies. None of the villagers mind that some of the crops sold have been grown with the help of magic because a town of sorcerers doesn't generally fear magic. 

Michael is happy that Lily's dream has become a success.

~~~~~

Michael decides to talk to Toast about the life that they shared.

When Michael tells Lily his plan, it takes a while for Lily to remember the lifetime Michael is talking about. But once she does, she insists on going with Michael for the conversation. The two never got a chance to connect with Toast over that life when talking to him with Aphex and Tom there. There was never a good time to talk about it that would allow Tom and Aphex to remain engaged in their conversation that day. So Michael and Lily pay a visit to Toast and hope that he isn't busy.

Toast turns out not to be busy. The three of them talk about the success of Lily's market for a while before turning the conversation to the lifetime that they shared. Michael is surprised to find out Toast remembers a lot of that lifetime in detail. But then Toast tells them that the life that was ages ago for Michael and Lily was Toast's previous life. Michael wonders why everyone he decides to befriend is just skipping so many lives. Were the last ten lives or so limited in who was in them? Or is Toast just skipping over lots of destinations like Tom and Aphex are.

The three of them reminisce over the friends they made in that life. Toast in particular talks a lot about Sykkuno and how he wishes Sykkuno could be here right now. As Toast talks with wistfully eyes about times with Sykkuno and peace, Michael feels fortunate that he has found Lily. He is relieved that he was able to save her before pillagers got to her. Michael wonders how many soulmates have been torn apart this life because pillagers took one half away. Michael hopes Sykkuno is still alive for Toast's sake.

"Wait," Toast says. "We've had peace under a kingdom once before. Why is this kingdom failing?"

"I don't... know," Michael responds. Michael doesn't know what Toast wants him to say. "I mean, the other kingdom had better guards. The people were safe."

"Exactly," Toast says. "The people were protected. The people didn't have to worry about protecting themselves. People didn't die from people invading their land."

"Like how people died in our village," Lily says.

Michael swears he can see the gleam in Toast's eyes. Michael's suspicions are confirmed when Toast talks about fighting back against the pillagers. But they need resources to do so. To wage war against the pillagers. And then Toast reveals his plan. If sorcerers take over the government, then everyone can be protected. They can tax the people they serve in exchange for protections. People will be safe. There will be no more refugees. Things will be like they were in that peaceful life. No one will fear for their lives again.

Michael and Lily leave Toast's house, having planted the seeds of rebellion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't actually sure where I should end this part, but this seems like a good stopping point. I think I got the point across. I am planning on a part 6 (that was supposed to be part 5) that will hopefully tie up some loose ends instead of adding new problems and plots and such. 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this if you've read to the end and are reading end comments. Like I said in the previous parts, I've been done with school for the semester for a while. I just needed the motivation to finish writing this instead of just watching YouTube and reading fanfics all the time. Apparently even when I'm not in school doing stuff, I just post at 3 am. I guess that's the way things are.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have continued this story with a second chapter. For those wondering why I usually create new stories with series instead of putting everything into one story with multiple chapters, there are many reasons. With this series especially, there are so many different characters in each part that character and relationship tags are different and spread out instead of all clumped together. Also, it's fun for me to see which parts of this series get viewed the most.
> 
> Anothet reason is how the notes work. For those of you who just read stuff and don't read stories, there's story notes and chapter notes. When creating a story, ao3 has the author fill out the story notes when putting in the first chapter. That's why some stories have chapter notes and then the notes pertaining to the first chapter after the final chapter's notes. It's really annoying to deal with in my opinion. So I just don't, except for this part of the series anyway.

The idea of rebellion turns out to be popular.

In retrospect, Michael supposes that he shouldn't have been surprised that a town full of refugee sorcerers would want change. But Michael is surprised by how quickly everyone latches onto the idea. And thinking about it, the idea is extremely feasible. They're a town of sorcerers who regularly use their magic right next to the capital. And all of them have stories in some shape or form. It's either being attacked, seeing villages burn, or being outcasts because of their sorcery.

Michael is also surprised at how quickly Tom and Aphex jump on the idea. Until he realises that Aphex was almost beaten to death by the invaders and the two of them are also probably not happy with the pillagers destroying their village. They've got every right to be as angry as Michael and Lily are. And even if Michael does not know the stories of the other villagers, he figures they must be all upset as well. And then Michael understands why everyone is jumping on the idea of change.

It's only loyalty to Toast that prevents the rebellion from happening right away. Toast tells the townspeople to be patient. This rebellion needs to be done correctly because a failed rebellion will make things worse. Michael is impressed at how persuasive Toast is. The sorcerers listen to every word. As leader of Maeve, Toast does have more authority than Michael does, but the feat is still impressive.

The plan is simple. Send some people to do surveillance while shopping for materials in the capital. Lily and Tom along with a couple other volunteers sign up for the task. From there, Toast will send in people at the castle's weak points and force the king to surrender. And then Toast will become the ruler of the land. And there will be peace at last.

The surveillance takes a couple of weeks. Information about the outside of the castle is gathered within days, but it takes a lot of effort to convince the king's men to negotiate market deals with them. From there, Lily and Tom make visits to the castle, often smuggling in a villager or two to help with mapping out the castle. They collect information on guard rotations as well so that they also know the time to strike.

Michael is ready to bring this kingdom to its knees.

~~~~~

The royal guard doesn't stand a chance.

The army has clearly never been equipped to deal with multiple sorcerers at a time. They fall like dominos. As the appointed leader of the sorcerer army, Michael is proud of his men. Weeks of combat training have made them vastly superior to these soldiers. No wonder these guys never protected anybody against invaders. Michael isn't sure why they bothered preparing for this invasion in the first place.

The king's personal knight is the only good fighter in the entire king's army. But not even he can fight off the army of about 100 sorcerers seeking the head of the king. The knight does try though. After his weapon is destroyed, it takes about 10 minutes for the sorcerers to subdue the knight. Only then can Michael's army move to seize the king, who stands shellshocked at the defeat of this knight. Toast then goes up to the king and assassinates him as planned.

"No!" the knight screams. "GEORGE!"

Michael kills the knight before he can say anything else. He picks up the knight's sword and examines it. It looks to be made out of a blackish material Michael has never seen before. Otherwise, the sword is a standard sword with one exception. In the hilt of the sword, the word "Dream" is carved. Dream is a strange name for a sword, but Michael shouldn't judge the decisions of the dearly departed.

Looking at the fallen knight, Michael notices that his armor is made of the same material as his sword. The armor is surprisingly in good condition considering the fight that just occured. None of the other soldiers were wearing this type of armor. Although the armor was given to their best guy. Michael supposes their logic has some merit to it, even though the guy was taken down because he was outnumbered.

After a while of observing his enemy, Michael notices that everyone is celebrating around them. No one has noticed his spacing out except for Lily though. She gives him a knowing look, and then smiles. Michael smiles back and then kisses her. Lily kisses back. There's a whole room of sorcerers celebrating, but Michael focuses on what matters the most. After their kiss, Michael puts his hand in Lily's as he acknowledges his soldiers around him.

A new era has begun.

~~~~~

Being a king's right hand man is tiring.

It is worth it, Michael supposes. The pillagers are being met with a royal guard that fights back and protects the people. A place that was once the victim of constant raids from outsiders is now under the greatest protection. And Michael plans it all. Toast and Aphex help him, but Toast has to deal with all matters of being the leader and Aphex is busy training new recruits to the army. Many of them being sorcerers.

With every new guard sworn in, planning out patrols for the guards becomes easier. Michael no longer has to decide between thinning out his troops and covering more ground. Guards can now enjoy longer breaks at the castle. Eventually, Michael develops a pattern. Sure, patterns can be dangerous, but who's going to overpower an army of sorcerers?

Every guard is well trained. As a part of the guard, practicing fighting is mandatory, so that everyone can protect themselves if invaders ever attack them. The invaders lose every battle. Villages don't burn down anymore. People aren't slaughtered for no discernable reason anymore. People are safe now. Living life is safe. And that's because of the work that the people of Maeve have put in.

Everything is better now. People are no longer living in fear. That's good. Michael can faintly recall conversations where Rae told them about a life where Toast ruled over something and people were afraid of him. But Michael was busy with tinkering with electronics, so he's unsure if that lifetime was the one with Maeve in it or if it was just mentioned in the same conversation. But that doesn't matter now. Michael has this Maeve and this kingdom. And Michael will not fail either of them.

Michael is a part of something good for once in his lifetimes.

~~~~~

Lily chooses her market over working for the castle.

Lily's market is the main market in the capital. She and Tom dedicate their time towards expanding it, hiring new workers, and otherwise ensuring the market's continuing success. Michael is proud of Lily's at each step towards expansion. Seeing Lily happy as her dreams are coming true is worth every experience that has happened this lifetime. 

The market truly is wonderful. Lily constantly searches around everywhere to find the best products available. She hires gardeners to grow the best crops to sell. She personally oversees workers to make sure they are doing their jobs properly. Any who try to abuse Lily's trust are immediately fired. Lily is truly ruthless in her pursuit of perfection. 

Tom helps Lily discreetly in doing this. Tom pretends to not know Lily so that he can tell Lily who is truly doing their job. Tom ends up creating many different personas for this purpose. He gets interviewed by Lily's managers so that Lily knows how those managers are treating potential new hires. He then either works for a while and outs anyone disobeying the rules or intentionally disobeys the rules to see if people are reporting infractions. Through this process, Lily keeps the workers who are loyal and removes the ones who are not.

Michael is sad that Lily feels like she can't trust her workers. That she has to go so far as to spy on them constantly. Michael trusts his soldiers. He knows they won't do anything bad or abuse their power. They've been through oppression and despair. They know what that feels like. Michael knows his soldiers are committed to keeping everyone safe and protected.

Michael never questions his soldiers' intentions.

~~~~~

Michael watches Toast wait for his Sykkuno.

Toast had been hoping Sykkuno would one day travel to Maeve. It's one of the reasons Toast had insisted on all travellers who came to Maeve visiting him. None of them were Sykkuno, but that never deterred Toast. After becoming ruler, Toast made sure his name spread around so that Sykkuno would find him. Toast offered to do the same for Michael and Aphex, but both declined. Aphex shared Michael's sentiment that they didn't need to spread their name around because they already have their soulmates.

Michael asks every new recruit their name, but none of them are Sykkuno. Michael hates the disappointed look on Toast's face when Michael tells him this every consultation. Michael sympathizes. Michael always feels empty when Lily isn't around. Like there's a hole in his heart waiting to be filled. Michael never likes feeling hollow, but that makes having Lily in his life all the more worth it.

Michael wonders if Sykkuno is living a secluded life somewhere where whispers don't travel. Or maybe Sykkuno simply doesn't have the resources to travel all the way to Toast. Perhaps the journey is just taking a long time and Sykkuno will eventually reach the castle. Michael is certain Sykkuno is out there. He wonders which theory of his is right, or if some weird event occured that will make Michael laugh when he hears about it.

Of course, there is a possibility that the unthinkable has happened. With all of the villages that have been destroyed and all the people whose lives were lost, it's possible Sykkuno is now longet alive. A pillager could have killed Sykkuno on the spot before anyone could have saved him. Toast could very well be waiting in vain. But Michael hopes that isn't the case. Destiny worked out for him and Lily. It worked out for Tom and Aphex. It should work for Toast and Sykkuno as well.

Michael hopes Toast will get his happy ending.

~~~~~

Michael is enraged when he learns about the Corpse couple.

It starts with reports of guards mysteriously disappearing. And then his men reporting back bodies. Killed by sorcery, his men said. Michael doesn't understand it. Sorcerers are thriving under Toast's rule. Why are sorcerers killing Michael's men? Then Michael hears the names of the killer's and he is enraged. How could these Corpse people attack the people who have devoted themselves to the peace of this land?

Lily reacts not with anger, but with sadness. She holds Michael close and cries. Michael holds her and reassures her everything will be okay. The army will find these two and execute them for their crimes. They will not get away with killing Michael's men. He will show Toast's people that their rule is secure, that no one can harm the citizens of this place.

Michael starts sending out men in bigger groups. He tells them to be more alert on the battlefield. But the deaths keep on coming and they're occurring closer and closer to the capital. So Michael increases security in the castle. He tells Toast to watch his back in case this Corpse couple tries to assassinate him. But none of the citizens or guards know what the Corpse couple looks like. But their anonymity doesn't bother Michael.

Michael will not rest until the Corpse couple is taken down.

~~~~~

Michael refuses to take a break from his conquest.

As nice as a break sounds, Michael can't afford to take one. He needs to devote his time to ensuring the downfall of this Corpse couple. He needs to assure his men that they need not be afraid. If Michael backs down for even a second, he fears his men will take it as a sign of weakness. They'll run, and the peace will be shattered. The invaders will come back and plague everyone again.

So even when Lily begs Michael to spend the night with her instead of in the castle, Michael has to refuse. Michael wants to spend the time with Lily. But his men need him, and he can't step away from that responsibility. Michael tells Lily this, and Lily tries to assure him that they can go one night without Michael being there. But Michael can't leave his men.

After a bit of arguing, Lily seems to realise that she can't change Michael's mind. She steps forward and hugs Michael tightly. She squeezes him real tight, and Michael squeezes back. Lily stays there for a long time and Michael lets her. If he can't stay the night, he may as well indulge her with the affection she seeks right now. She loosens her grip and then kisses Michael on the forehead before letting him go.

"Okay," Lily says. "Goodbye then, Michael."

Lily walks out the door of the castle before Michael can respond. Michael isn't sure why Lily said goodbye this time. Usually, she wishes him a good night and promises to see him in the morning. But just a goodbye? Lily hasn't done that in ages. Lifetimes ago, when Michael was dying of some disease, Michael remembers Lily saying goodbye and then kissing him on the forehead. Michael wonders why Lily simply said goodbye today. Michael certainly isn't dying.

Michael shakes the thought from his head. The Corpse couple are alarmingly close to the castle. A group of guards was recently found dead at a place that is a 30 minute walk to the castle. The people in the castle are panicking. Michael needs to be on his best guard to finally catch this Corpse couple. Michael will strategize in the morning, he thinks to himself. He can continue his conquest to protect his people in the morning.

In the morning, Michael never wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there's some people who might read this part before the other parts of the series who might not completely understand the ending and what happens. Reading the first part of this series will help you understand what is going on with the story, mostly. I'm really hoping I get to writing the part of the story that explains some of Michael's observations throughout his part. I've just got some writer's block on the next part of this series, but I've done some thinking so hopefully everything turns out.


End file.
